How to Create Content For Performance Marketing

1 July 2020

Usually, my initial conversation with a media planner, digital marketer or PPC team about content goes the same—each fully believes content is valuable, but once I recommend sponsoring that content with paid media, the conversation changes.

Once media dollars enter the picture, you naturally want to stick with what you know works for you—traditional landing pages. A typical conversation goes like this:

“I see the value of traffic on our blog for awareness goals, but right now, sales and leads are my priority.”

“We’ve seen a lot of traffic to our blog and advertorials, but the CPA is too high for us to make this work.”

“I tested sponsored content campaigns, but the ROI just wasn’t there.”

In these examples, prior experiments with paid campaigns driving traffic to content just hadn’t converted consumers, but for one reason: the content wasn’t built for performance marketing goals.

So, what content would work for your performance goals?

To answer this question, we took a look at the landing pages behind millions of Taboola campaigns running on publisher sites each month.

The result: content works best for performance marketing when your audience needs a little more storytelling.

Based on these findings, we recently laid out how to create a content strategy for performance marketing goals, which dives deeper into determining whether or not your audience is ripe for the content picking.

Assuming they are, what does content for performance marketing look like in action? Using those same results, we’ve developed best practices, relevant examples and a full-proof template for content that hits performance marketing goals every time. I’ll walk you through how to map content to your funnel, design your landing pages, and create copy that converts consumers, quickly.

In these examples, prior experiments with paid campaigns driving traffic to content just hadn’t converted consumers, but for one reason: the content wasn’t built for performance marketing goals.

So, what content would work for your performance goals?

To answer this question, we took a look at the landing pages behind millions of Taboola campaigns running on publisher sites each month.

The result: content works best for performance marketing when your audience needs a little more storytelling.

Mapping content to the funnel.

Your content strategy should pinpoint an area of the funnel where your campaigns will focus, including specific goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) you need to meet.

To illustrate this, I’m going to use a basic four-step funnel, including awareness, consideration, decision and loyalty.

At each of these stages, your content will target a different persona. For the purposes of our example, we’ll work with Alex, Ana and Joseph.

Each of these people represents a general view of where a consumer could fit in your funnel, no matter the product you’re working with.

Awareness: content for impressions, traffic, completed video views and more.

Alex is our awareness stage representative. He doesn’t think he needs your product or service, has never heard of you before, or isn’t aware that your type of product or service could benefit him.

If your Alex persona is completely green to your offering, targeting him with press coverage or a video is a great start. Retargeting him with blog articles or advertorial content that captures increased time on site, a newsletter subscription or a call-to-action (CTA) for a content download or sign-up will help you hit those awareness goals.

Consideration: long-form content for sign-ups and conversions.

Ana is our consideration representative. She knows she needs a product or service in your category, but isn’t convinced that your solution in the one that’s best for her.

She needs more storytelling, more convincing on your part that your solution is the best one for her. Here, blog articles with strong calls-to-action (CTAs) to purchase, or longer-form landing pages can really shine.

And for those in the Alex category that didn’t convert, retarget them with Ana-specific content to move them down the funnel.

Decision: content to drive purchases.

Joseph is our decision representative. He knows he wants to purchase from you, but hasn’t converted. He either forgot, or hasn’t had the opportunity to do so yet.

Stay top of mind with Joseph by targeting him with traditional product landing pages or blog articles with strong purchase CTAs throughout.

Loyalty: content to keep current and former customers purchasing.

Once Joseph has made a purchase, or has become a customer, target him with blog articles that continue to showcase your value proposition, to keep him coming back again and again.

his strategy is more easily said that done, what does this content actually look like? To illustrate this, let’s dive into three different vertical examples.

Example: food delivery or meal kits.

In the food category, meal delivery and kit services are especially hot right now as more people seek easy ways to eat at home.

For Alex, in the awareness stage, target him with content that convinces him a meal-kit will bring value into his daily life.

For Ana, in the consideration stage, target her with content that speaks to your specific offering, and why it’s the right choice for her.

For Joseph, in the decision stage, stay top of mind by targeting him with product landing pages and content that keeps him coming back for more.

Example: home & garden products.

In the home category, consumers are turning towards gardening products as a way to stay busy at home.

For Alex, in the awareness stage, target him with content that convinces him gardening as whole will bring value into his daily life.

For Ana, in the consideration stage, target her with content that proves your gardening products are more valuable than others.

For Joseph, in the decision stage, stay top of mind by targeting him with product landing pages or content that alerts him whenever you have a sale, or a new product to offer.

Example: health & fitness programme.

Finally, let’s take fitness as an example, as people seek new ways to stay healthy and fit indoors.

For Alex, in the awareness stage, target him with content that convinces him fitness should be his priority.

For Ana, in the consideration stage, target her with content that speaks to your specific program, and convince her that she will see real results.

For Joseph, in the decision stage, stay top of mind by targeting him with product landing pages and content that keeps engaged in his fitness plan.

Competitive analysis: how to stand out.

Your content won’t be successful if you simply say the same things your competitors are saying. Without truly separating yourself from the pack, how can consumers be convinced that you’re the right choice?

A simple analysis of your competitor’s content will provide insight into where you should focus, and can be done in five easy steps.

Identify which of your competitors is creating content. Use those competitors as a gauge to determine what your potential customers are already being targeted with.
Determine their content strategy. Are they educating consumers? Are they focused on thought leadership? Are they strictly selling themselves with their content? If you find there’s room for more content in any of these areas, focus there first.
Map the topics they’re covering. If you have expertise in any area that your competitors do not, lean-in there when thinking about headlines and content topics. This will help you stand out from the pack.
Map their tone. Others might be targeting newbies in your category, and others might be leaning into the expert crowd. Find a tone that your competitors aren’t using, and be that new voice for a group of customers left-out by content that’s too amateur or too advanced.
Find your niche. Using all of these signals, identify your niche. While you’ll likely still need to create some content similar to that of your competitors, the majority of your focus should be on content that differentiates your brand.

Once you have your map, ideas, and competitive analysis, it’s time to dive into content creation.

Brought To You By

Latest Download

Whitepaper: How To Turn Wasted Data Into Dollars

By Digital Element

Check out this insight from Digital Element to discover how to turn underutilised data into revenue, loyalty and customer experience opportunities.

MAD//Insight is operated by Hippocampus Media Ltd, Registered in England 11160601, 2 Copperhouse Court, Caldecotte Business Park, Milton Keynes, England, MK7 8NL